Dear Parents,  

Thank you for your patience and encouragement the past few weeks as we slowly try to recover from the flood. The good news is that all classes and the office can return on Monday and we will return to our regular arrival and dismissal procedures.  The kitchen is still not open and the process of “recombobulation” will take a long time. Every inch of the flooded areas have been sanitized and every item has had to be moved; therefore when Mr. Sullivan opened his gym closet this morning looking for footballs he found stage railings, boxes of curriculum, costumes, and assorted other detritus from the bubbler room. We have yet to move back into the office or 3rd and 4th grade classrooms. Please pray that everyone can remain positive with the little frustrations and delays we are all going to continue to encounter! We are encouraged that the new entrance will be completed by Thanksgiving and we are seeing steady progress each day.

Next week we have parent/teacher conferences. Please check your past email from Judy Bleau for details. On Thursday we will hold our grand opening of the Nature Explore space. Our preschool students have loved every inch of it! Yesterday, I went out with them for a while and it did my heart good to see them so engaged and happy as they ran, jumped, painted the wall with water, conducted serious investigations using large magnifying glasses,  built castles with blocks, chatted with one another, and planted spring bulbs in their “secret garden”.  We are so blessed to have this beautiful space and we thank God for it.  

I want to thank everyone for a fantastic Greek Olympics last week. I was impressed that the entire staff wanted to go forward with it despite our building limitations! I was blessed and very thankful that so many parents and grandparents were able to attend, help, cheer, drive, carry stuff, mark the field, sell items and run the events. Thank you all for taking such great photos. I am working on a slideshow that I plan to post next week. I will include a few below just to whet your appetite.

Lastly, I want to remind you that we have now begun the roller-coaster adventure of term two. Fasten your seat-belts! Term two is always challenging due to Thanksgiving and Christmas and all the extra preparation, activities, and sugar that accompany them. At HCA we try to keep things as calm and normal as possible while maintaining our focus on the reason and deep meaning of the season. It is no mistake that we are studying the Roman Empire during December because that sets the backdrop for the world into which Jesus was born.  

Galatians 4:4 states, “But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son.”

Between now and January we will be examining what the times were like when God sent Jesus  and how God used the corrupt Roman Empire for His own purposes. We might even draw some implications for us today! In January we will continue our studies of the Roman Empire as we study Acts and learn all about Paul and his missionary journeys, culminating with Paul’s Journey Day on January 20th.

Coming up…

Wow! Please print and post all these dates. I apologize for such a compromised version of Pathways. We will send out a real one as soon as our office is functional. Please enjoy a taste of the Olympics below. Your kids are awesome!!

In Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all we ask or think,

Susan Hayward, Principal